Carteret home is robbed of $15K cash hidden in ShopRite bag

Google Maps A map view of Hermann Ave. in Carteret, where a house was robbed of $15,000 in cash.

CARTERET — A burglar broke into a borough home and stole $15,000 in cash the homeowners were hiding in a ShopRite bag in a downstairs closet, police said today.

The homeowners arrived at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to find their Hermann Avenue house had been ransacked, Carteret Police Chief John Pieczyski said.

Police determined the burglar had smashed a basement window to enter the home around 2:15 p.m. The burglar riffled through drawers and closets, but did not steal two flat-screen TVs and jewelry in plain sight, Pieczyski said.

The cash was organized in $1,000 bundles, the chief said. Pieczyski said he did not know why the homeowners were storing money in a shopping bag.

"It’s not an everyday occurrence to have that amount of cash in a home," he said.